MATI CITY, Davao Oriental (PIA) – With the recent expansion of benefit packages of PhilHealth, the Local Health Insurance Office (LHIO) in Mati City is ramping up efforts to accredit more healthcare facilities, aiming to extend these benefits to a wider population in Davao Oriental.
For the Konsulta Program alone, there are already 17 accredited providers in the province as of February 2025. Of these, 16 are government facilities and one private, according to LHIO-Mati chief social insurance officer Jonas Matthew Pang during the Kolokabildo sang Davao Oriental.
While government hospitals and rural health units across the province have been accredited, Pang said that they also look into private facilities in every locality so that more members will benefit from the program.
“Kanunay ni sya ma-update og adunay mga facility nga mag-apply and ma-approve for accreditation,” he added.
(This list is continuously updated as new facilities apply for and are approved for accreditation.)
Also, Pang emphasized that part of the accreditation process is assessing the capacity of healthcare facilities to deliver the services included in various PhilHealth programs.
In line with the rollout of new benefit packages, Pang announced that the City Health Office (CHO) of Mati has been accredited to provide the newly implemented services such as outpatient mental health and preventive oral services.
“Ang CHO Mati ang pina-kauna sa region 11 and sa Mindanao na na-approve for accreditation (for oral health services). Ang CHO Mati pod nag pinaka-una na contracted facility sa intero Davao region ug sa tibook pilipinas nga community based-facility (for mental health services),” he shared.
(CHO Mati is the first in Region 11 and Mindanao to be approved for accreditation for oral health services. CHO Mati is also the first contracted facility in the entire Davao region and the entire Philippines to be a community-based facility for mental health services.
Meanwhile, since these benefit packages can only be availed by registered members, LHIO–Mati social insurance officer Abigail Lachica said they are also intensifying their information campaigns and actively conducting or participating in caravans to reach more residents in the province.
As of December last year, Lachica reported that around 83 percent of the province’s population—approximately 500,000 out of 633,000 residents—have already registered with PhilHealth.
Moreover, LHIO–Mati information officer designate Veronica Jane Valles shared that, to boost membership, they have established service desks in several local government units across the province to assist with registration and address other PhilHealth-related concerns.
“Naa dira ang personnel ni PhilHealth-Mati para maghatag pod ug serbisyo like membership, magtubag sa mga inquiries, concerns. Dira na sila mo-diritso, dili na sila kailangang mo-adtu pa sa Mati for their concerns or unsa pa na ilahang tuyo,” Valled explained.
(PhilHealth-Mati personnel visit the areas to provide services such as membership registration and assistance with inquiries and concerns, eliminating the need for residents or members to travel to Mati for their PhilHealth-related needs.)
In Banaybanay and Lupon, PhilHealth’s service desk is available every Tuesday at their respective Rural Health Units (RHU). For San Isidro and Governor Generoso, the service desk operates every Wednesday, also at their RHUs.
As for other areas in the province, Valles said they coordinate specific schedules to bring the service desk to those locations. (ASO/PIA Davao Oriental)
